Having a car may be cool in high school, but many students at the University opt for their sneakers when it comes to getting around Ann Arbor.
The reason to ditch the steering wheel is University parking - a situation many consider problematic.
"Having a car on campus gets me to Meijer (for groceries)," said LSA junior Jack Andrews. "But I can't get parking spots much at all on campus. Parking there just isn't convenient."
Complaints about campus parking can be aimed at a variety of circumstances, including a lack of spots, fees for permits and strict parking regulations.
Permits for paid parking lots are available on a first-come, first-serve basis at the Parking Services Building. Permits range in price from $200 to $450 per year.
Ann Arbor Parking Service employee Diane De La Torre said having a permit is a great benefit; if you own one, you will most likely "always have a spot in a lot."
Although approximately 2,500 spaces will be available in both free and paid parking lots next year, De La Torre said the number of spots will still leave some students without a place to park.
Those who don't get spots in the lots are left competing for metered parking and parking illegally in lots reserved for faculty. While sneaky students may consider these options safe bets, the Department of Public Safety warns students to beware of possible consequences.
DPS Associate Director Robert Patrick said he employs five full-time officers to ticket violators at all times of the day. The top crimes include parking in a lot without a permit and expired meters. The fines can reach $20, and employees are not hesitant to hand out the tickets.
Larry Vining, an LSA junior, said he has received two tickets, after having his car only one year on campus. "You go five minutes over (on a meter) and (DPS) leaves you a ticket," he said. "I got one at six in the morning!"
Engineering senior Katie Wehrle agreed that parking, even if metered, is definitely a problem in Ann Arbor. She is "afraid to drive anywhere" fearing that she "won't get a space."
For those who are unable to bear the rules of parking in the city, limited spaces are available as a part of the Bursley Residence Hall lot.
GiGi Demming, an Engineering junior, said the $25 a year fee and lottery-based dorm parking at Bursley was only "kind of worth it." She said the lots guaranteed her a spot but were "not well lit and scary at night." Demming added that theft in the lots was common.
Students agreed that having a car was convenient only for trips off campus, and considered driving on campus or driving to classes "completely useless."
Even those without vehicles were full of complaints about Ann Arbor's parking.
LSA junior Heidi Goedge said she has heard that parking is "absolutely awful - especially on football Saturdays."
Goedge said having a car is only manageable if "you live in an (off-campus) apartment and have a spot guaranteed (as part of your lease)."
While summer in Ann Arbor eases the parking trouble, don't be fooled by the empty spaces. At the Parking Services building, forms are ready to be filled out by students this fall - the first step toward getting a coveted lot space once classes resume and traffic increases.
Whether or not students are willing to try their luck in the parking lottery, they should be prepared to dig out their walking shoes or oil their bikes. Parking in Ann Arbor can be a bear - especially for those students who are accustomed to trouble-free parking and unaccustomed to the discouragement of searching for spaces on busy streets.
Goedge offered some words of advice to unsuspecting students with wheels.
"Make sure if you're going to have a car on campus, you already have a place to park it," Goedge said. "Parking in Ann Arbor is very, very bad."
FILE PHOTO
Expired meters - even if only by a few minutes - frequently invite the unwelcome appearance of a parking ticket, issued by a DPS or city officer.